Stump-puller.



E. W. LA PLANT & R. E. CHOATE.

STUMP FULLER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4. 1911.

Patented 001;. 8, 1918.

II TE Ill STA ES AENT FFICE.

EDWARD W. LA PLANT AND ROY E. CHOATE, OF CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA.

STUMP-PULLER.

Application filed September 4, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD WV. LA PLANT and ROY E. CHoATn, citizens of the United States, residing at Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stump-Pullers; and we do hereby declare the followin to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to produce a convenient and powerful portable stumppuller, the invention consisting in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side view, partly sectional, showing the general construction of a stump-puller embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a top view of the windlass drum. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the driver that engages the drum. Fig. 5 is a top view of the same. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top view of the main frame and a spider revoluble in an annular bearing formed on said frame. Fig. 7 is a side view of the sweep-clutch and a sectional View of the bearing-plate. Fig. 8 is a sectional view, showing the top of the clutch, and sections of the sweep-shank and the stud on which it turns. Fig. 9 is a fragmentary side view, showing the mechanism for disengaging the sweep.

In the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the main frame which for convenience of transportation may be mounted on skids 2. The frame is practically rectan ular in form, preferably a single steel casting. Its top and bottom cross-bars serve as bearings for the Windlass drum 3, on which winds the main cable 4. Its sides are of columnar formation, partly for strength, and partly to serve, in the case of one ofthem, as a suitable means for the attachment of the main cable terminal, it being understood that the cable passes out to a sheave (not shown) anchored to some stable support,

Specification 01' Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8, 1918.

Serial No. 189,436.

looped, double connection with the side of the frame, near the top and bottom thereof, thus giving the cable a central pull on the frame, whether the cable be winding near the top or bottom, or at any intermediate point. For this purpose the side column 5 is provided with flanged seats 6 to receive the loops of the cable, the lower flanges being considerably extended, as shown at 7, to prevent the cable from slipping down and out of place. The anchoring cable 8 connects with the flanged part 10 of the opposite column by a sheave-block 11.

In the central hub 12 of the bottom crossbar is rigidly secured a stud 13 extending up through a large hole in the upper cross-bar and to some distance above the frame. On this stud is mounted revolubly the driver 14 for the windlass drum 3, which is cored to receive it. At the top and bottom the hole in the drum is made angular, as shown at 15 and 16, to receive similarly formed portions of the driver, 17 and 18, respectively. Above the angular shoulder 17 the driver is extended upwardly in cylindrical form, and terminates ina series of clutch teeth or jaws 19. The cylindrical part is journaled in the large hole in the upper cross-bar, as shown. Above the driver is mounted the clutch 20, having teeth to engage the teeth of the driver. This clutch is turned by the squared neck 21 of the sweep 22, and is free to slide up and down a. limited distance thereon. The neck of the sweep turns on the upper extension of the main stud, which gives a firm support therefor to hold it in proper horizontal position, and yet permit it to turn freely.

Provision is made for disengaging the clutch 20, so that the drum may be turned independently of the sweep, for letting out or takingup slack in the cable. To upwardly extending flanges of the sweep is pivoted a forked. lever 23, and to the short arms of the lever connect links 24, whose lower ends connect with lugs 29 formed on the clutch flange. Referring to Fig. 9 it will be evident that the turning up of the lever will raise and release the clutch, which remains engaged so long as the lever is depressed. To make this engagement positive at such time the lever is so formed that when depressed the link connections with the short arms of the lever are carried a little past the center, so that strains which would tend to lift the clutch only lock the lever more The inside of the annular flange forms a bearing for a'bearing-plate 26 in the nature of a spider or wheel. It is provided with a series of openings 27 to admit freely the downwardly extending jaws of the clutch, which are suiiiciently separated to straddle the spokes 32 of the bearing-Wheel. The hub 30 is bored at 28 to fit neatly on the stud 13 and turn freely thereon. The rim 31 fits neatly, but revolubly in the flange 25. It will be seen by reference to Fig. 1 that the clutch jaws engage the driver below this spider-like bearing.

' pullers.

This construction entirely obviates what has hitherto been a serious difiiculty connected with the operating of these stump- To secure the free turning of the drum when the sweep was disengaged, the .drum was mounted by its driver on the long stud which carried the sweep at its upper,

end. In practice it was found, however, that the overhanging weight of the sweep was sufiicient to deflect the stud a little. This caused the drum and its driver to bind so tightly in its bearings as to render it difficult or impossible toturn it by hand. It will be noted that the stud is now entirely independentof the driver, except at the lower end, the rest of the hole through the driver being large enough so, that the stud may bend considerably without touching it. This deflection of the stud, however, is prevented by the bearing-plate, which operating in a bearing independent of the driver, holds the stud rigidly upright. There is thus nothing to prevent the clutch being very easily operated, and when it is disengaged the drum may be easily turned by hand.

Having thus claim:

1. In a stump-puller, the combination of a main frame having in its upper portion a large bearing-hole, a stud secured in the lower part of the frame and projecting through said hole, a driver journaled on said stud and in said hole, and squared near its upper and lower ends, a drum fitting said squared parts at to and bottom, a clutch engaging the driver, and a sweep engaging the clutch.

described our invention, .we

Copies of this patent may be obtained for 2. In a stump-puller, the combination of a main frame having in its upper portion a large bearing-hole, a stud secured in the bottom part of the frame and rising through said hole, a driver journaled on said stud and inside said hole, and having upwardly disposed jaws, a drum engaging said driver, a sweep-head revoluble on the upper part of the stud, a clutch mounted slidably on the sweep-head and adapted to engage the driver, and means adapted to raise the clutch out of engagement with the driver. '3. In a stump-puller, the combination. of a main frame having in its upper portion a large bearing-hole, a stud secured in the bottom part of the frame and rising through said hole, a driver journaled on said stud and in said hole, a drum engaging said driver, a clutch adapted to engage the driver, a sweep-head on which the clutch is slidably mounted, a forked lever straddling the sweep and fulcrumed thereon, and links connecting the short arms of the lever with the clutch, the lever being adapted to lock theclutch in engagement when depressed.

4:. In a stump-puller, the herein described drum-drive, comprising with said drum, a stud fixed at its lower end, a driver socketed in the drum, and having a lower journal bearing 011 the stud and an upper bearing above the drum, a sweep-head having an elongated neck-journaled on said stud and outwardly squared, a clutch fitted slidably thereon, and means adapted to lift the clutch for disengagement.

5. In a stump-puller, the combination with the drum, its driver and a retaining frame having in its upper part a bearing-hole for the drum, of a stud fixed in the lower part of the frame and rising through the hole in the upper part of the frame, a larger bearing located abovesaid bearing hole,a bearing-plate revoluble therein and on said stud, and suitably apertured to allow the passage of clutch-jaws through it, a sweephead revoluble on the upper part of the stud, and a clutch slidable thereon, withjaws adapted to pass through the bearingplate andengage the driver.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses. I EDWARD W. LA PLANT.

ROY E. CHOATE.

Witnesses:

J. C. JoHNsoN, A. PITHMAN.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ratents, Washington, D. G. V 

